San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-01-18

ing the ntUle rustic bridge that spanned
the river Way to join me. | was sitting
i'm nest of violets and forget-me-nots
that grew down TO the edge Of the
water.
All, me, it all comes back to me--the
song of the birds, the sound of the
wind i'm the great trees, the Odor of the
lilacs, and my lovers dark, handsome
face bending over me, his warm. strong
hand clasping minel 1t would have
been well, | sometimes think, had /
died then and there with that full sun
light of happiness upon me. For, when
/ realized what was passing, when,
above the music of the birds and the
wind and the rush of the river, | heard
every word, Mark Upton was telling
me that he loved me, and asking me TO
be his wife who one short week before
was only child Oh, happy time Of
the lilac-bloom, which had brought me
a lover so good and so true! l dared
not look at him. glanced at the river
and the trees-anything rather than
meet his dark, loving eyes.
"Will you say that you are not angry,
Miss Chester? Nellie your mother
calls you, and it is the prettiest name
in the whole world-Nellie, will you try
to love me2"
faitered out that had known him
only one week. He cried, what does
that matter?" A week in such a case
was like an age. There was no such
thing as time in love.
"You know there is not, Nellie" he
said. ~ tell the simple truth when l
say that at seven o'clock on the morn
ing of the tenth of May was heart
whole and fancy-free; had never
thought of love or marriage; and it is
equally true that by ten o'clock 1 had
sworn to myself that Nellie Chester
should be my wife or no one. Nellie,
you do not know what you looked like
when first saw you. Your hair was
purest gold as the sunlight fell full up
on it; your face was fresh and fair as a
flower; your sleeve had fallen back, and
half your beautiful arm was bare, as
you tried to reach the lilac, and could
not. can only say that that moment
you made your way to my heart, and
that you will never leave it again. You
have become part of my life. Now let
me look into your eyes. l can read my
answer there"
He raised my face in his hands and
looked into it as though he would read
my very soul.
"You do care for me, Nellie" he
cried; 1.-THE love-light is in your eyesl
Say you love me. What does it matter
that we have known each other only
one weekp Why, my darling, if you
had been my dearest friend for twenty
years, | could not love you more. You
know me as well now as you will in fif-
ty years time. | do not hide one
thought of my heart from YOU"
What could | say-I, who loved him
with all my girls heart. and to whom
his love was as sunlight and dew are to
the flowers? l said something as to be-
ing very young.
'My hair is not gray, Nellie, he said,
laughing. You are seventeen; am
twenty. know my love is but las
sic YETI tits for that love her."
Then he plighted his troth to me,
taking me in his arms and kissing me
as lie said
81 love you, Nellie; and while / live l
shall love no other woman. If you will
be my wife l will live and die for you;
if you will not, will call no other
woman wife"
The laughing river and the singing
birds seemed to repeat the words. i
was dazed with happiness as l sat with
my head on my lover breast, wonder
ing why such perfect bliss should be
mine, content with knowing that be-
longed to him, that my life and my love
were his, that in the future we should
always be together, glad to know that
the dark, handsome face would never
smile on another woman, glad to think
that no other wOman's hand would ca
ress the clusters of dark hair, no other
woman's lips kiss the face that was
mine, all mine.
Oh, foolish, trusting, loving heartl 1
did not remember that in the depths of
the dark, strong river lay shifting sands,
that the wind never told the same story
twice. To me my lovers dark eyes
were true and tender as the stars.
forgot that the stars are not all fixed. /
was very young, very loving, full of
faith, but not very wise.
So, while the May sunshine shone
around us, he kissed me and claimed
me for his wife; and we walked back
to the cottage as the Sleeping Beauty"
and the FAIRY Prince" walked, from
the old world to new.